Watch construction



March 19, 1940. H. THIEBAUD WATCH CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 16, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l M I INVENTOR. BY f%aw ATTORNEY$ March 19, 1940. H. THIEBAUD WATCH CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 16, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY? Patented Mar. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WATCH CONSTRUCTION Henri Thiebaud, Bienne, Switzerland, assignor to The Grnen Watch Company, Cincinnati, Ohio,

truncation of Ohio 4 Claims.

,This invention relates to a watch construction useful in connection with all types of watches, but having particular application to a wrist watch, which will be hereinafter considered as represent- 5 ing the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Prior to the development of the so-called curved wrist watch, the conventional configuration of the watch movement and case of a wrist watch was substantially the same as that of the conventional pocket watchthat is, substantially flat on both sides. It was, likewise, conventional to construct the dial to fit snugly on the flat upper surface of the movement while the bezel supported a crystal substantially parallel to the dial and superimposed above straight hands. The upper surface of the movement referred to throughout this application is the dial supporting surface, although in the trade this is usually spoken of as the lower surface. In this earlier construction the hands moved in a linear plane parallel to both the crystal and the dial. Even at the present time, a great number of wrist watches are still constructed in this manner.

One of the objections to the use of a pocket watch movement configuration for wrist watches is that watches of this construction do not fit well on the wrist and have a tendency to catch the sleeve of a malev wearer. Likewise, such a watch usually lacks style and beauty, and these are, of course, important attributes to a wrist watch which is, of course, constantly visible.

These various objections were partially solved by constructing the movement so that it curved in a direction longitudinal of the curvature of the top of the wrist. The case and bezel were then correspondingly configurated, but it was considered impossible to curve the hands so that they would move in a plane parallel to the face of the dial, because since the dial was curved in one direction only, it was necessary to have the hands move in a linear plane to prevent them from contacting the dial at the three oclock and nine o'clock positions. Accordingly, the straight hands would diverge from the dial in the six oclock and twelve oclock positions, and, in order to provide clearance for them, it was necessary to have the edges of the case of substantial thickness.

Generally speaking, however, this curved construction provided a watch which fitted more securely on the wrist, was more comfortable and of better appearance because of the utilization of curves as distinguished from the earlier straight line construction, and also because it provided a substantially thin watch movement without sacrificing any element of strength of the parts.

It isan elementary principle of watch making that, assuming an equal quality of materials and workmanship, the larger the parts are, the stronger will be the watch, and the more accurately will it operate. This curved watch con- 5 struction is disclosed in the United States patent to Fry, Reissue No. 20,480, original N 0. 1,855,952.

The present invention may, in one phase, be considered as an improvement of the construction disclosed in the aforesaid Fry patent, in that it provides for a complete curvature in all directions of the upper face of the movement, as distinguished from a curvature in one direction only, as disclosed by Fry, As will be subsequently pointed out, however, the present invention is of substantially broader scope than the Fry invention, contemplating, as it does, improvements in parts other than the movement alone.

It is the broad concept of the present invention to provide a watch in which the movement or 20 plate for supporting the wheels of the watch is so constructed that the upper surface recedes or tapers symmetrically in all directions from the axis of the hands toward the edges of the movement. Next, this movement is fitted with a dial of similar configuration. A bezel is superimposed over the dial to support a crystal which is curved or conflgurated from a central point to the edges to complement the dial. With these considerations in mind, it is a further concept of the invention (and a very important one from the commercial point of view) to configurate the hands so that they rotate through a path of revolution which is complementary to the face of the dial and the crystal about it. Various modifications of 35 these principal concepts will be described in detail at later points in the specification.

Accordingly, one object of the present invention has been to provide a watch movement, the upper surface of which recedes symmetrically in all (11- 40 rections from the axis of the hands to the edge or edges of the movement. The face of the movement may be a surface which is completely convex, resembling a dome; it may also be a symmetrically stepped construction in the nature of a pyramid, a truncated pyramid, a surface formed of a series of cone sections of decreasing slope, a flattened dome, or various other constructions conforming to the concept of the invention.

A second object of my invention has been to provide a dial, the upper surface of which symmetrically progresses downwardly from a point a the axis of the hands to the margin.

A third object of my invention has been to provide a dial having a configuration substantiah ly identical with that of the upper surface of a V movement of the type described, so that it may be supported snugly in position thereon.

A fourth object of my invention has been to provide hands which are curved to adapt them to move in a path which is substantially parallel to the upper surface of the dial, the upper surface of the movement and the lower surface of the crystal.

A further object of my invention has been to provide a combination of the various other objects including the provision of a bezel and case conforming to the general concept of the invention.

Other purposes and objects will be apparent from the further and more detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

By virtue of these principles of construction, it is possible to provide a completed watch including movement, dial, bezel, hands and case, in which the movement is the same size as the case in which it is used (for example, a 10% ligne movement in a 10% ligne case), but which is materially thinner at the edges than has been the case with constructions previously utilized.

A 10%, ligne movement is a movement approximately 23.40 millimeters in width. Now considering the proportions disclosed herein in the example given (see Figures 1 and 2), the movement illustrated is 4.20 millimeters in thickness at the axis of the hands. From this thickest portion the movement tapers or thins down toward the extremities to what may be termed an approximate feathered edge. The improvements disclosed in this application are directed entirely to wrist-watches or pocket watches, that is to say, watches which are adapted to be carried or worn on the person. This type of watch as conventionally manufactured today, has a movement the greatest thickness of which is never more than 6 millimeters.

From the foregoing disclosure of the concepts upon which the invention has been predicated and the following disclosure of the details of several embodiments of it, those skilled in the art will understand the various forms and shapes of movements in which the invention is adapted to be used.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view of a watch movement embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the new watch movement in outline.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the new watch movement with the dial and hands afilxed in place thereon.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a watch illustrating a form of the invention.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the watch shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of another model watch, illustrating a different style of case.

Figure '7 is a side elevation of the watch shown in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a side elevation of a'watch showing the longitudinal curvature of the dial and hands.

Figure 9 is an end elevation of a watch showing the lateral curvature of the dial.

Figure 10is a top plan view of the same watch.

Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of the dial of the watch shown in Figures 8, 9, and 10.

Figure 12 is a side elevation of a watch showing a further modification of the invention.

Figure 13 is an end elevation of the watch shown in Figure 12.

Figure 14 is a top plan view of the watch shown in Figure 12.

Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of the dial of I the watch shown in Figures 12, 13, and 14.

Figure 16 isa side elevation of a watch showing a further modification of the invention.

Figure 17 is an end elevation of the watch shown in Figure 16.

Figure 18 is a top plan view of the watch shown in Figure 16; g

Figure 19 is a cross-sectional view of the dial of the watch shown in Figures 16, 1'7, and 18.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 illustrate the configuration 1| and construction of the movement, alone. As will be apparent from Figures 2 and 3, the upper surface of the movement as shown in this embodiment recedes uniformly from the axis of the hands, shown at l, to the edge of the movement I 2. This recession need not necessarily be uniform in a radial direction, but the recession should be substantially symmetrical about the axis of the hands, in order to insure a minimum of thickness at the margins, regardless of the configuration of the outline of the movement.

Other possible modifications of the shape of the movement may be deduced from the-other figures, as it is assumed that the upper surface of the movement may correspond in configuration to the dials therein illustrated. It is not intended that the modifications illustrated be all inclusive, as it will be apparent that the invention is subject to further-variations in construction, all of which are within the scope of the invention.

In Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11, a form of the invention is illustrated which might be described as the preferred form. In these figures, 3 represents the case; 4 the strap or band on which the case is supported; 5 the dial; 6 the hour hand; I the minute hand; and I the crystal, which may be supported in a bezel 9. In this construction, which it is contemplated will embody a watch movement similar to that illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, it will be observed that the curvature of the dial and the crystal is uniform, and in this particular instance, on the arc of a circle, from the axis of the hands 6 and 1 in the case of the dial, and from a center point II in the case of the crystal. It will be noted that the hands move in a path of revolution which is parallel"- that is, complementary, to the lower surface of the crystal, and approximately parallel to the upper surface of the dial and the movement. It is, of course, not absolutely necessary that the hands be completely parallel to either of these surfaces, provided a sufiicient clearance is provided.

By utilizing the construction of the invention, it is possible to provide a completed watch which is of conventional thickness about the axis of the hands, but which is substantially thinner at the extremities of the case than has been true with previous constructions. This is perhaps best illustrated in Figure 5. I

Figures 12, 13, 14 and 15 illustrate a modification in which the configuration of the dial comprises a series Of plane surfaces or discs superimposed one over the other to resemble a pyramid. When viewed in elevation, the upper surface of the dial will appear as a stepped line. The shape of these surfaces, when viewed in plan, isimmaterial; the construction shown in Figure 14 being merely illustrative of one type. Ob 1 viously, they may be oval, square, hexagonal, octagonal, and one surface may differ in configuration from the other. As in the case of the construction illustrated in Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11, however, the surface of the dial recedes symmetrically from a central point which is the axis of the hands. It is contemplated that the dial, which is representative of this construction, will rest on a movement, the upper surface of which may or may not be similarly configured.

The modification illustrated in Figures l6, 17, 18 and 19 is one in which the surface of the dial is coniigurated in what might be described as a series of sections of a frustated cone superimposed one upon the other. These sections may be joined at their extremities in the manner best illustrated in Figure 19, although, obviously, this would not be essential to the invention. As in the case of the structure illustrated in Figures 12-15, the configuration of the dial when viewed in plane may be round, square, 01' any shape desired, and the shape of the various sections need not be symmetrical.

In considering the structure as a whole, it will be apparent that a watch embodying the inventions of this application is a structure which is particularly well adapted to fit on the wrist, and one which offers a minimum amount of inconvenience or obtrusiveness to the wearer, because of contact with the sleeve of a shirt or coat. Likewise, it will be somewhat easier to read than a watch having a curvilinear configuration, as the latter has a tendency to catch light reflections and highlights which render the reading more diflicult.

Having fully described my invention, I claim:

1. A movement for use in a watch oi the type adapted to be carried or worn on the person and having a thickness at the axis of the hands of six millimeters or less, said movement including the wheels of the watch and constructed and arranged so that its thickest portion is at the axis of the hands, said movement providing a dial supporting surface progressing symmetrically outwardly and downwardly in all directions from said thickest portion toward an approximate feathered edge at the outer extremities of the movement.

2. In a watch of the type adapted to he carried or worn on the person including, a movement, a dial, and hands, said movement having a thiclr= ness at the axis of the hands of six millimeters or less, said movement and dial constructed and arranged so that the thickest portion of the assembly, including the movement and dial is at the axis of the hands, and the top surface of the assembly recedes in all directions irons said thickest portion thereof toward an approximate feathered edge at the outer extremities of the assembly.

3. In a watch of the type adapted to be carried or worn on the person, a movement having a thickness of millimeters or less and providing an upper dial supporting surface, a dial super= imposed thereon, and hands mounted on an axis of said movement, the axis of the hands being located at that point where the. distance between the dial supporting surface and the back of the movement is greatest, said dial supporting surface receding symmetrically in all directions from the axis of the hands toward an approximate feathered edge at the outer extremities of the movement.

4. In a watch of the type adapted to he carried or worn on the person, plate elements support ing the wheel of the watch, has i mounted on an axis on the plate elements, plate ele-- ments constructed and arranged so as to provide a thickness of six millimeters or less at the axis point where the hands are mounted, said supporting plate elements providing a dial support= ing face, a dial superimposed over said sup porting face, said dial and supporting plate elements providing an assembly which recedes symmetrically in all directions from the axis of the hands toward an approximate feathered edge at the outer extremities oi the plate elements.

HENRI TI-IIEBAUD.

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